house side water main connection

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

I spent thanksgiving day weekend digging out my front yard looking for a leak in my water main. I found out that the builder used a PVC pipe connection from the curb to my house which is about 3 feet higher than the curb. It looks like the last thread on the PVC pipe union was stressed and cracked open. My guess is the that over time gravity is pushing the house towards the curb and forcing the pipe connection to bow. I called a plumber who put in a PVC repair splice. With all this info in mind how should I cover up this splice with soft sand, gravel, should I add a splint to the threaded joint like a broken leg ?

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

First, if the house is moving (which I doubt) don’t worry about the water line pipe, you have more important and major problems with the house moving.

My guess is that the pipe was installed and pressed down into the trench, then covered with fill to keep it down. This placed a stress on the fitting which eventually caused it to fail. The pipe may have also been bent when landscaping was installed (if any was installed) after the pipe was laid. The pvc pipe should have been placed in the trench with no stress on the pipe or the connection.

Instead of installing a pvc repair splice, why didn’t the plumber just make a proper repair by cutting out the broken area and installing a new section of pipe and fittings?

After replacing with a proper repair, cover with clean fill (sand or soil with no rocks in it). Do not put a splint on it, make sure there are no stresses on the pipe and fittings to cause it to fail again in the future. Then cover with clean fill.
[Edited by Jerry Peck on 29 November 2000]

[fourth yearParticipant]

In this area, we find that problem at least once a week. It happens because the installing plumbers use a MIP adapter which is one of the weakest fittings in the plumbing trade and it cracks from the slightest stress. We repair it by using a Sch 8 PVC, or brass, nipple and dresser coupling. The break can occur at either end of the PVC, but have seldom had both ends break.

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